Courage
by Tibarn'Worshipper
Summary: After Leon and Ashley jump down the garbage disposal, Ashley determines to help Leon fight the next enemy. Little does she know that she landed on it.


_**Well, here's my first Resident Evil fiction ever! It's Leon/Ashley. Everyone who has played the game through should recognize this part. Sorry if I messed up the dialogue; I couldn't' remember where everything went. ^^;**_

_**Disclaimer: I won nothing. Resident Evil 4 and all characters/monsters belong to their respective owners.**_

_**Flamers will end up like the monster in this story. Don't think I'm joking.**_

_**Dedicated to yumekokoro for her amazing Leon/Ashley fanfictions!**_

"No way, Leon!"

"Way!"

And Leon grabbed Ashley's hand, and jumped into the garbage chute.

Surprisingly enough, Ashley didn't scream on the way down. She didn't feel afraid, not as the wind ripped the breath from her lungs, not as they descended down into the darkness, not as adrenaline coursed through her body; how could she possibly be afraid when Leon's firm, reassuring hand tightly clasped her own? It blew the "nothing is impossible" theory right out of the water.

They landed on a mound of broken lab equipment, boxes, bodies, and other unidentifiable objects. The female blonde groaned and glared up at her bodyguard. "You..!" she let the sentence hang, knowing that he would understand the threat.

He grinned at her and said, "I knew you'd be okay if you landed on your butt."

She threw a piece of styrofoam at his head. He dodged the projectile easily. "A little violent toady?"

Ashley rolled her eyes and started to get up. Leon's hand appeared in front of her face, and she took it. Right before he pulled her up, something gray caught her eye. She turned her head to look and almost threw up. Right next to where she had landed was a human looking corpse. The skin had turned completely gray and was rotted in most places. Ashley had seen countless zombies before (one doesn't soon forget the red eyes and unintelligible screams), but this one looked completely different. It was completely naked (though there were no parts showing) and there were needles as long as her arm poking out from its skin.

"What _is_ that?" Ashley asked her eyes wide with fear.

Leon abruptly pulled her up. He ignored her question and merely said, "Let's go." He was trying to be brave for her sake, but Ashley saw the panic in his eyes.

Leon and Ashley walked down a short hallway in relative silence. Ashley couldn't help it; she kept looking back at the corpse.

Leon put his hand on her shoulder, startling her, "Don't do that." He whispered. By now they had reached a grilled door. There was a lever close by and Leon grabbed it, "You're making me think that thing is gonna get up and attack us." He pulled the lever down.

The door opened, and at the same time, the corpse stood up. Its irregular breathing was painfully familiar to Leon's ears. _Aw crap…_

Without even turning to look at the thing, Leon grabbed Ashley and threw her into the new room. There was another lever and he slammed it down, causing the grille to close again. Both watched in horror as the corpse walked closer and closer to the door. When it finally reached the grille, the monster stopped as if contemplating the obstacle. Ashley held her breath, waiting for the thing to break down the door.

Nothing happened.

Next thing she knew, Leon was dragging her to an open trash bin. He helped her in, whispered the words, "Stay hidden!", and closed the rusty lid.

Ashley whimpered as the darkness engulfed her. She didn't hear anything except for the creature's breathing. It sounded like a kid who came to school with heavy nasal congestion. A few more seconds went by. _What is Leon…?_

A shot rang out, causing Ashley to scream. Another one followed, and another one after that.

"Damn!" she heard Leon yell.

Ashley cringed. Images rushed through her head: Leon being impaled by one of the needles, that thing hitting the lever, causing the grille to rise, Leon on the floor, dead, as the thing slowly advanced to the trash bin…

With a violent shake of her head, Ashley banished the images from her head. They weren't helping at all! She silently cursed herself. None of this would have happened if she hadn't been weak enough to be kidnapped in the first place. It was all her fault. Everything was. Every wound that was inflicted upon Leon, every moment of fear, it was all because of her. Because she was weak. She hated how she was always hiding behind Leon like a scared little girl. She wanted to help him, to wield her own gun. She even had this fantasy of her taking the attack of a zombie originally aimed at Leon. He would have shot the zombie in the head, carried her off somewhere to heal her, and pronounced his undying love for her.

Ashley's hands clenched into fists. That was it. She was no longer going to hide while Leon did all the work. With a determination that has never before been seen on this earth, she stood up, pushing up the lid of the trash bin. She immediately saw Leon. He was aiming his sniper rifle at the corpse that was now missing its head and right arm.

The blonde woman clambered out of bin and walked over to Leon. He didn't notice her; he was too busy focusing on the monster. Ashley noticed that his handgun had fallen to the floor. She leaned down and picked it up. _How do I know if it's loaded?_ She shook it, shrugged her shoulders, and aimed at the monster's torso, one eye squeezed shut in concentration.

She fired.

The thing let out a scream before its entire upper half exploded, covering Leon and Ashley in slime and black blood and guts.

Ashley screeched and dropped the gun. She tried to wipe the gunk off of her clothes but only succeeded in spreading it even more.

It was a surprise when she heard Leon laugh.

She looked up to see him looking at her, amusement in his eyes despite of what just happened.

"Well," he said, "that was a very brave thing of you."

Ashley flipped her hair over her shoulder, "I was done with hiding."

Leon sighed and his tone became serious, "Sweetie, I want you to hide for your own safety. If something were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself."

Ashley blushed and looked down at her boots, "Oh." She said softly.

Leon lifted her chin with two fingers so that she was looking at him in the eye. "I wouldn't be able to stand it… if you were hurt, Ashley. But that was a good shot."

Ashley smiled a little, "Really?"

Leon nodded, "You would probably be good with a gun if you practiced some." Using his thumb, he wiped some of the gore off of her face. They were going to need some serious showers after this.

Ashley's blush deepened at the compliment, "We should probably get moving." She said.

Leon looked at her for a moment longer, "Okay, then." He finally said.

As she started to walk away, Leon watched the back of her head. _You need to stay safe, Ashley_ he thought to himself. _I wouldn't be able to go on if I lost you._

Ashley turned back to him, "Coming?"

Picking up his handgun from where he had dropped it, Leon smiled at her. "Hold your horses."

And together the two of them set off into the unknown.

_**And then they meet another one of those… things. I hated those things so much. :(**_

_**Ashley with a gun… XD If I was in Ashley's position, I would get tired of hiding all the time and try to help out. Thus this fic was born.**_

_**Was there too much smiling in this? Considering the position they're in and all…**_

_**I thought this up last night at midnight… I'm sooo tired. T_T**_

_**Reviews are very helpful!!!!!**_


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